1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to center plate structure for a railway vehicle which utilizes a polymeric wear-resistant tubular liner.
2. Prior Art Statement
It is known in the art to provide a railway vehicle havng a body provided with a body bolster and a body center plate with the body center plate having a supported planar bottom surface adjoined by a cylindrical outside surface, a truck provided with a truck bolster and a bolster bowl with the bolster bowl having a planar supporting surface adjoined by an upstanding peripheral flange which has a cylindrical inside surface which is adapted to receive the outside surface therewithin, and a wear-resistant tubular liner disposed in sandwiched relation between the cylindrical surfaces with the body center plate disposed within the bolster bowl.
For example, see the following patents:
(1) U.S. Pat. No. 4,188,888, and PA1 (2) U.S. Pat. No. 3,218,989.
It appears from item (1) that a polymeric wear-resistant tubular liner is provided between the above-mentioned cylindrical inside and outside surfaces. However, there is no teaching of confining the polymeric material comprising this liner to prevent vertical cold flow thereof from between the cylindrical surfaces.
It appears from item (2) that a metallic wear band is provided between the above-mentioned cylindrical inside and outside surfaces wherein such band has a gap in its circumference and is held against vertical movement by spaced lugs. However, such a metallic wear band has comparatively poor antifriction properties and the lugs do not engage the entire top surface of the band and have substantial gaps therebetween.
The exemplary patents mentioned above highlight that railway vehicle center plate structures proposed heretofore are deficient in that each of such structures either does not employ a tubular liner made of a suitable wear resistant material or when made of a suitable polymeric wear resistant material such liner is not held in position to prevent vertical cold flow of the polymeric material comprising same.
However, see the U.S. Pat. No. 3,713,710 to Wallace, wherein metallic liners are held in place in their respective bolster bowls by retainer rings welded in place after the respective liners have been inserted into their respective bolster bowls.
It is an object of this invention to provide an improved wear resistant structure between a body center plate provided on a body bolster of a railway vehicle body and a bolster bowl provided on a truck bolster of a truck of the railway vehicle.
Another object of this invention is to provide an improved method of resisting wear between such a railway vehicle body center plate and associated railway truck bolster bowl.
Other aspects, embodiments, objects, and advantages of this invention will become apparent from the following specification, claims, and drawing.